


Run Away With Me

by Tigris_Lilium



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Ardyn stop posing as Noct's friends, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Non-Consensual Touching, Shapeshifting, Sorry I hurt you Iggy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-21
Updated: 2017-12-21
Packaged: 2019-02-17 23:37:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13087827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tigris_Lilium/pseuds/Tigris_Lilium
Summary: Ignis wakes up and sees that he's in his hotel room in Altissia. No...that wasn’t right. This shouldn’t be happening. He shouldn’t be seeinganything.AKA Ardyn poses as one of Noctis's friends to ruin their day, part three.





	Run Away With Me

**Author's Note:**

> SPOILERS FOR EPISODE IGNIS if you don't want anything spoiled from the dlc don't read!
> 
> There are depictions of noncon, but no rape and nothing graphic, otherwise I would hate myself for writing such a thing.
> 
> I had a variety of feelings after playing Episode Ignis. So much emotion. It's been a week and I'm still hurting to this day. So I wrote this to cope. I'm sure posing as anyone Ignis trusted would work, but posing as Gladio is a definite low blow...

Ignis awoke to a dark red ceiling, to their hotel in Altissia. When he sat up, he spotted a figure he couldn’t quite recognize standing before him at the opposite end of the room. No...that wasn’t right. This shouldn’t be happening. He shouldn’t be seeing _anything_.

He remembers.

 

* * *

_The Tidemother. The Titan. Niflheim soldiers._

_Rain. Noctis, Luna. One unconscious. One dead. Ravus. Ardyn. The Ring._

_Anger. Fire. Pain. Sacrifice._

_Darkness._

* * *

 

“Disturbed you from your slumber, have I?”

He couldn’t clearly see that figure, but that voice... That voice that made his stomach twist and wrench, that made his heart stop...He was the last person he wanted to see, he was the last person he wanted to see before his -

“Ah, do forgive me for intruding. You still must be recovering from that _grievous_ injury some days back.”

“ _Get the hell away from me.”_ Ignis hissed at him, his voice rough, throat dry. He tried to move, tried to will his limbs to awaken, to bolt out of this bedroom and find the others. He tried to _scream_ . He tried to do _something_. But his body refused, as if paralyzed. He was unprotected. Injured. Vulnerable. Why hasn’t anyone heard him yet? Has Ardyn come to hurt them once again, to try and take Noct away from them, just as they were weakened?

“Quite a warm welcome, indeed. If you’re wondering where the rest of your friends are, do not worry. They are unharmed.” Ardyn drew closer, his features clearing. That smug smirk, gold piercing eyes, auburn and unkempt hair. “Is it so surprising for me to simply pay a visit, to see how the young King’s retainer fares in his time of need?”

Ignis glared at him, unconvinced. What he was most afraid of was how unpredictable the Chancellor was. This man had saved them, countless times, from the hands of Niflheim, yet he spared no hesitation to attack him in Altissia, to nearly pierce Noctis’s throat, to incapacitate Ravus with the simple flick of a wrist. Ardyn could very well kill him right here, before setting his sights for the rest of his friends. An innocent smile that hid the true monster underneath.

“Hmm, still curious about my true intentions?” Ardyn paced in front of the bed, humming a tune to himself as he examined the various knickknacks around the room. Ignis watched him carefully, heart still pounding with uncertainty and fear.

“So much loss in one day. Half of the city of Altissia. The lives of Accordo’s soldiers. The Oracle. Your sight.” Even if Ignis could still see right now, he felt that tingling, throbbing pain at the corners of his eyes where the ring’s power burned his skin. “Why is it that you still stand with him, that you still remain at the young King’s side, when all you are left with is loss?”

“Why remain as a retainer to the King, when your life would be so much better off without him?”

Ignis trembled with fury at the mere mention of leaving his friend, his King, and he grit his teeth, sneering, “I will not leave him. I’ve sworn to protect him, even if it costs me my life.”

“Yet you’ve seen the prophecy, yes?”

Ignis hesitated. How did he know? Those images burned into his brain and flooded his thoughts once more, when Pryna fell before him, granting him stark images of their futures; of Noct’s future.

“The True King, destined to end the Lucis Caelum line, to end the Scourge, to bring light back to Eos, “ Ardyn sauntered around the room as he spoke, hands waving to accentuate his words, “...and all for the cost of his own life. Surely the most tragic of losses for you, one of his dearest friends.” He eyed him as he toyed with the leaves of a potted plant, smirking.

Ignis said nothing.

“Why not abandon this fool’s errand, where all that remains for you is a dead King? Why not do something for yourself? Why not seek your own happiness?” Ardyn tapped his finger at his chin, as if in thought, before his mouth curved into a smile. “Let me help you understand.”

Ignis’s eyes widened, as Ardyn’s figure began to blur once again, shrouded in muddy purple smog.

“To throw away a lifelong duty, for the man you love…It would surely be a weight off your shoulders...”

“...Isn’t that right, _Iggy_?” No longer did Ardyn’s voice flood his ears, it was Gladio’s.

Gladio, the man who’s stood by his side, the man who protects him just as much as he protects Noctis, the man who has supported him all this time, even if the the stars fell and the Gods died with it. The man he _loves_.

But this wasn’t him.

All too suddenly, his vision turned dark for one moment, and when he came to, he was sprawled across the bed, back pressing against it like a lead weight. He saw Gladio, towering above him. But he knew it wasn’t him. He silently chastised himself, that he fell for this before, let his guard down and nearly had Noct killed because of it. Gladio’s amber eyes were replaced with gold, his warm smile replaced with a smirk that held nothing but contempt and sickening amusement.

“Come on Iggy, let’s run away together,“ Gladio purred, as his hands slid up Ignis’s legs and thighs, “Noct’s fine on his own, we won’t need to worry about him anymore. _Run away with me._ ” His voice was all too familiar, but different, enough to give him goosebumps, to make his mind scream in protest, that he should stay away from him.

He lifted his right hand to punch him, but he wasn’t fast enough; one hand easily grabbed both of his wrists, pushed his arms above his head, causing Gladio to press closer to him. It wasn’t Gladio’s familiar scent that filled his senses; it smelled like smoke and ashes and death. He wanted to vomit.

“We’ll have all the time in the world to ourselves…”

“Let go of me!”

Gladio’s other hand snaked up his torso, before grabbing the fabric ripping Ignis’s shirt open, buttons flying. His hand pressed against his chest and Ignis gasped as he tried to turn away from them. Cold hands, searing cold, travelled along sweat-ridden skin like he was prey.

“All the time in the world to _make love._ “ His words dripped with malice.

“S-stop _...please!”_ His breathing was heavy, trembling.

With Gladio distracted, Ignis managed to wrench an arm from his grip, and, mustering all the strength he had, twisted his torso to the side as momentum to strike the other with a swift punch to his jaw. Black, splotchy blood stained his fist and splattered across the sheets.

“Oh, Iggy…” Cold, heartless laughter bubbled up from the other man. “Is that any way to treat a lover? Or is this your way of playing hard to get?” He turned his head back to face him, inky blood seeping from his grinning mouth.

Ignis barely had the time to figure out why Ardyn’s blood drew black, before that cold hand quickly captured his neck tight, pressing up against his throat. His jaw tightened and he saw stars as air was blocked from his lungs. He could only muster choked off sobs and groans of pain, feeling consciousness slowly slip away.

Gladio -- _Ardyn_ \-- chuckled above him. “If only you could look at yourself right now. What good is a King’s retainer when he’s reduced to this?” Ignis’s skin crawled as he heard those words in his friend’s voice.

Then he knelt down, his lips attacking Ignis’s neck, sharp teeth sinking into skin and drawing blood.

Ignis braced himself, tensing up, and the grip on his neck lessened enough for him to inhale harshly for air, and cry out in pain. It felt like heat, burning, _poison_ coursing through his veins as lips that weren’t Gladio’s left bloodied marks at his skin, black mix with red.

Ignis turned his head away and closed his eyes, hearing the other man laugh as he played with his body. He doesn’t want to remember Gladio like this: A wretched daemon, disguised as someone he cares for, someone he loves. He would rather bite off his tongue right now, die before Ardyn can do anything more to him, so he could at least remember Gladio as he truly was….

 

* * *

 

_Ignis!!_

Ignis awoke with a jolt, skin pale and sweating. Those cold and nauseating phantom touches were gone, replaced with  two pairs of warm hands, grasping his sweat-riddled skin.

He was still in Altissia, in the bedroom where he rested. He still had the bandages wrapped around his closed eyes as they healed from their injuries. He could see nothing. But he was safe.

“Iggy, hey, it’s alright, we’re here,“ He sensed Gladio - the _real_ Gladio - beside him, a large hand gripping his shoulder firmly. An anchor. A smaller hand - presumably Prompto’s - rested at his arm, just as worried as Gladio. He could feel Prompto’s hand trembling, trying his best to stay calm. His friend has dealt with enough these past few days, and Ignis could tell Prompto’s self-control and carefree attitude was faltering in the midst of this tension.

“Noct--” Ignis tried to say, but his voice came out dry and gravelly, and he fell into another coughing fit.

“Noct’s fine, he’s in the other room. We need to get you some water.” Gladio assured him, releasing his hold a bit but keeping his hand on him, “Prompto, we need to replace his bandages too.”

“Got it.” Ever the efficient, Prompto followed his orders without question, and Ignis heard him stand up and hurry out of the bedroom.

Gladio’s hand slid to his upper back, moving him to sit up slightly. That hand left him for only a moment. He could hear Gladio maneuvering beside him -- The clink of a pitcher against glass, liquid pouring into it. There must have been a pitcher of water prepared for him at the bedside. He could feel Gladio settling closer to him.

The glass at his lips and the cool water he drank fitfully was a comforting sensation. The warm hand behind his neck supporting him was even better.

“Are you doing okay? You were tossing and turning for a while, yelling in your sleep too. Took me and Prompto both to calm you down.” After the glass was placed back on the bedside table, Gladio’s voice broke the discomforting silence. His real voice, full of concern and worry. He’d never felt more relieved to hear him in ages.

“I’m fine,” Ignis murmured softly, forcing himself to smile. “You don’t need to worry about me.”

“Iggy…” His tone was stern, and tired. As if he’d had enough of his friends getting hurt and brushing off just how damaging the repercussions were.

“...Was it a nightmare?”

Ignis nodded, skin growing cold as his mind tried to capture those moments again, moments he wanted to pry out of his memories. The darkness before him kept filling blanks, and he wished he could will it to _stop_. Gladio understood, could sense how strongly those dreams affected him. He gave Ignis’s shoulder a quick, comforting squeeze. Ignis moved his hand up to place it atop his friend’s. Not squeezing back, just...feeling him. Feeling the warmth emanate from his hand.

They stayed like that for a while, the silence a godsend for Ignis. He felt his heartbeat begin to slow, breath falling back to a normal rate.

He heard and felt Gladio shift on the bed, felt that comforting weight beside him disappear. “Hey...I need to go check on Noct, alright?” He could feel Gladio’s hand slowly slip from his grasp. Ignis’s hand shot out, grabbing the other’s wrist like a lifeline.

“No! No…” Ignis stuttered, trying to rephrase. “...Noct won’t be moving anytime soon, and Prompto can check up on him as well. I just...need this. Please.” He bit his lip. He knew he was asking for too much. He knew that Noct needed as much care as he did, but he did not want to be left alone with this thoughts. He did not want to be left alone, where he knew that Ardyn had this much power over him, over Noct, over all of them.

Right now, he needed someone to anchor him to reality, to anchor him to the safety of their hotel room. To forget about the daemon that invaded his mind.

After a short silence, that comforting weight was back beside him, hand moving to grasp Ignis’s, firm and unwavering. “I’ve got you, Iggy. I’ve got you.”

As Ignis laid his head down on the pillows, as his energy began to fade once again, Ignis focused on that warmth, and in his last moments of consciousness, he recollected every moment of Gladio’s visage he could remember: of those beautiful eyes, warm and amber like the setting sun. His smile, bright and honest and full of emotion. His dark brown hair that he found himself running his hands through when he got the chance. His tattoos of the proud eagle, that he loved to gaze upon when his back was turned.

He slept with the memory of Gladio, greeting him one morning as Ignis emerged from the tent, two cups of warm Ebony in hand, smiling at him like he was the world to him.


End file.
